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Title: Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium

Abstract

Background: Early-life exposure to toxic compounds may cause long-lasting health effects, but few studies have investigated effects of childhood exposure to nephrotoxic metals on kidney and cardiovascular function. Objectives: To assess effects of exposure to arsenic and cadmium on kidney function and blood pressure in pre-school-aged children, and potential protection by selenium. Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of the 4.5 years of age (range: 4.4–5.4 years) follow-up of the children from a supplementation trial in pregnancy (MINIMat) in rural Bangladesh, and nested studies on early-life metal exposures. Exposure to arsenic, cadmium and selenium from food and drinking water was assessed by concentrations in children's urine, measured by ICP-MS. Kidney function was assessed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, n=1106), calculated from serum cystatin C, and by kidney volume, measured by ultrasound (n=375). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured (n=1356) after five minutes rest. Results: Multivariable-adjusted regression analyzes showed that exposure to cadmium, but not arsenic, was inversely associated with eGFR, particularly in girls. A 0.5 µg/L increase in urinary cadmium among the girls (above spline knot at 0.12) was associated with a decrease in eGFR of 2.6 ml/min/1.73 m{sup 2}, corresponding to 0.2SD (p=0.022). A slightly weakermore » inverse association with cadmium was also indicated for kidney volume, but no significant associations were found with blood pressure. Stratifying on children's urinary selenium (below or above median of 12.6 µg/L) showed a three times stronger inverse association of U-Cd with eGFR (all children) in the lower selenium stratum (B=−2.8; 95% CI: −5.5, −0.20; p=0.035), compared to those with higher selenium (B=−0.79; 95% CI: −3.0, 1.4; p=0.49). Conclusions: Childhood cadmium exposure seems to adversely affect kidney function, but not blood pressure, in this population of young children in rural Bangladesh. Better selenium status appears to be protective. However, it is important to follow up these children to assess potential long-term consequences of these findings. - Highlights: • Bangladesh has high levels of arsenic and cadmium in drinking water and food • We assessed toxic exposure, kidney and cardiovascular function in Bangladeshi children • Cadmium appeared to decrease estimated glomerular filtration rate in girls • These effects were somewhat alleviated by selenium.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [1]
  1. Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden)
  2. Medical Research Council (MRC), International Nutrition Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. (United Kingdom)
  3. International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka (Bangladesh)
  4. Department of Clinical Trial and Clinical Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. (Japan)
  5. MRC Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge (United Kingdom)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22483302
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Environmental Research
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 140; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0013-9351
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; ARSENIC; BANGLADESH; BLOOD PRESSURE; CADMIUM; DRINKING WATER; FILTRATION; ICP MASS SPECTROSCOPY; INFANTS; KIDNEYS; SELENIUM; UREA

Citation Formats

Skröder, Helena, Hawkesworth, Sophie, Kippler, Maria, El Arifeen, Shams, Wagatsuma, Yukiko, Moore, Sophie E., and Vahter, Marie. Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/J.ENVRES.2015.03.038.
Skröder, Helena, Hawkesworth, Sophie, Kippler, Maria, El Arifeen, Shams, Wagatsuma, Yukiko, Moore, Sophie E., & Vahter, Marie. Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENVRES.2015.03.038
Skröder, Helena, Hawkesworth, Sophie, Kippler, Maria, El Arifeen, Shams, Wagatsuma, Yukiko, Moore, Sophie E., and Vahter, Marie. 2015. "Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENVRES.2015.03.038.
@article{osti_22483302,
title = {Kidney function and blood pressure in preschool-aged children exposed to cadmium and arsenic - potential alleviation by selenium},
author = {Skröder, Helena and Hawkesworth, Sophie and Kippler, Maria and El Arifeen, Shams and Wagatsuma, Yukiko and Moore, Sophie E. and Vahter, Marie},
abstractNote = {Background: Early-life exposure to toxic compounds may cause long-lasting health effects, but few studies have investigated effects of childhood exposure to nephrotoxic metals on kidney and cardiovascular function. Objectives: To assess effects of exposure to arsenic and cadmium on kidney function and blood pressure in pre-school-aged children, and potential protection by selenium. Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of the 4.5 years of age (range: 4.4–5.4 years) follow-up of the children from a supplementation trial in pregnancy (MINIMat) in rural Bangladesh, and nested studies on early-life metal exposures. Exposure to arsenic, cadmium and selenium from food and drinking water was assessed by concentrations in children's urine, measured by ICP-MS. Kidney function was assessed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, n=1106), calculated from serum cystatin C, and by kidney volume, measured by ultrasound (n=375). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured (n=1356) after five minutes rest. Results: Multivariable-adjusted regression analyzes showed that exposure to cadmium, but not arsenic, was inversely associated with eGFR, particularly in girls. A 0.5 µg/L increase in urinary cadmium among the girls (above spline knot at 0.12) was associated with a decrease in eGFR of 2.6 ml/min/1.73 m{sup 2}, corresponding to 0.2SD (p=0.022). A slightly weaker inverse association with cadmium was also indicated for kidney volume, but no significant associations were found with blood pressure. Stratifying on children's urinary selenium (below or above median of 12.6 µg/L) showed a three times stronger inverse association of U-Cd with eGFR (all children) in the lower selenium stratum (B=−2.8; 95% CI: −5.5, −0.20; p=0.035), compared to those with higher selenium (B=−0.79; 95% CI: −3.0, 1.4; p=0.49). Conclusions: Childhood cadmium exposure seems to adversely affect kidney function, but not blood pressure, in this population of young children in rural Bangladesh. Better selenium status appears to be protective. However, it is important to follow up these children to assess potential long-term consequences of these findings. - Highlights: • Bangladesh has high levels of arsenic and cadmium in drinking water and food • We assessed toxic exposure, kidney and cardiovascular function in Bangladeshi children • Cadmium appeared to decrease estimated glomerular filtration rate in girls • These effects were somewhat alleviated by selenium.},
doi = {10.1016/J.ENVRES.2015.03.038},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22483302}, journal = {Environmental Research},
issn = {0013-9351},
number = ,
volume = 140,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}